Back in May this year 3UK launched a trial laptop trade in scheme (see here); not just does this continue to be available, but 3UK have just widened the criteria to qualify for the scheme.  The amount is still £150, but the criteria is now:

• Up to 5 years old (originally 3)
• Screen size over 12″
• Be undamaged (although some wear and tear should be accepted)
• In working order, with battery and all cables

With the greater age range, that old laptop sitting at home may suddenly be more useful to help fund a new laptop.  If you are interested in this deal, head off to the 3UK website where more details can be found.

I was able to chat with 3UK last night about their current “All You Can Eat” data contracts they now offer.  Not just are they happy for users to use as much data as they like, they have studied the actual results now it’s been available for a while, which are quite interesting.  3UK confirmed that although some of the users do manage to use up a large amount of data each month, most customers average around 1GB of data.

Similar to the PAYG statistics I obtained last year, it’s clear that most people don’t need or use excessive amounts of data, but those customers want to be free to do so, and not in fear of extra charges or getting cut off, and for that, I think the gamble for 3UK to offer such a deal has paid off.

When launched, 3UK were happy that tethering (and Personal Hotspot for Apple users) was included with their All-You-Can-Eat truly unlimited data bundle that comes with the One Plan.  Starting at £25 per month (24 month contract, price depends on selected handset), it was still very good value, given the sheer amount of minutes and texts it also comes with.

Later, when they made the All-You-Can-Eat unlimited data available on their PAYG plans they were again quick to point out that these tariffs did not come with tethering support (although with non-Apple devices it’s more difficult to control, although the mobile networks can spot you using apps like Joikuspot or the built in Mobile WiFi AP in Android).

Most recently, they have now launched The One Plan on a SIM Only basis, with a 1 month rolling contract.  SIM Only contracts are a little strange with the short minimum contract period, and are often treated more like PAYG arrangements by the networks.  So, when it came to whether or not they supported tethering, their initial response was No.  However, within hours of this decision, they confirmed via Twitter (see Ben’s post that’s documented it here) that tethering and Personal Hotspot are supported on the SIM Only One Plan.

This is good news, and a sensible decision, and is certainly a good plan to consider if you are looking to change contracts but don’t need a new phone; with 2,000 cross network minutes, 5,000 texts, 5,000 3UK-3UK minutes and proper unlimited data each month for just £25, it’s also difficult to beat elsewhere.

As always, all 3UK offers are available in the 3Store.

3UK have launched a laptop Trade In scheme.  In simple terms; if you buy a new laptop from 3UK and you then send them a laptop which is up to 3 years old, they will send you £150.  There are T&Cs attached to this (it must be working and complete with battery and accessories), and it can take a month or two for the money to arrive, but it’s well worth considering and factoring into the cost of a new PC if you are thinking about it.  I understand this is a limited offer, although 3UK have not yet said when it will end.

For more details, head here.

Over the last couple of weeks, 3UK have released (or will release) a fair range of new handsets, covering the main smartphone OSes; a couple of weeks ago, they released the Desire S running Android, which although not a great upgrade from the old Desire, is a worthy phone contender for someone looking for a new Android phone.

Yesterday they also announced the Nokia E7 (Symbian^3 with a flip out QWERTY keyboard) was now available, and today they have announced that from tomorrow you’ll be able to buy the long-awaited white Apple iPhone 4 on 3UK.

So, it seems whatever your smartphone OS choice is, you have an option to get one of the latest phones available from 3UK (although less popular, they also have BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 devices).  As always, head to the 3Store for more details.

If you have been thinking about trying an Android tablet, but didn’t want to have to deal with the unit if you didn’t get on with it, then you might want to try the ViewSonic ViewPad 7.  Although it retails for around £325, you should be able to pick one up for around £290.  For this, you are getting a decent Android tablet with 800 x 480 7″ screen, Android 2.2, 3G and Wi-Fi support, plus all the regulars (Google Maps, Google Mail, Bluetooth, microSD card support, front and back cameras), but the important part is the current offer by ViewSonic.  You see, they are so confident you will like the device that they are offering a (limited time offer) full refund of your money after 30 days if you don’t get on with the unit.

There are a whole range of T&Cs attached to the deal, but they will (subject to the device being in original box and in good condition with proof of purchase), refund your full outlay including up to £10 more for the postage cost of sending it to them.  The most important limitation is that you must purchase the device before 30 April 2011 to qualify.

I’m impressed with this kind of no-risk offer, and recommend you consider it.  Full terms are available here and thanks to Mobile Industry Review where I first spotted the deal.  If you do go with the deal, I’d recommend either the 3UK SIM Internet Only SIM Free contract (30 day rolling contract, £5 per month with 2GB of data), or 3UK‘s One Plan to go with it.

3UK have confirmed (through a tweet) that they are currently putting a Gingerbread update for the HTC Desire through their mobile operator testing.  This can take a while, and often finds problems causing the firmware to be rejected until the bugs are fixed. 3UK stated that it’s likely the firmware will finish testing and be released late April / early May, which would indicate a mid to late April release of the same firmware for unbranded and unlocked devices direct from HTC.

For a phone now replaced (both the HTC Desire HD and the HTC Desire S could be said to follow on from it) it’s good to see updates still being released, and although the native Gingerbread is not a major update, it does bring a range of useful features to all Android devices out of the box (SIP calling, slightly better keyboard, slightly better UI, and better battery power management) so it’s still a welcome update.

It seems a large range of devices will be able to update from v2.2 to v2.3, and for those that don’t, there’s always the custom ROM scene, which as devices move out of warranty becomes a sensible option if the original manufacturer isn’t offering these updates (if the hardware is up to it).

Although brief (as most tweets are!) 3UK‘s statement can be found here.

If you have never used Spotify before, then they are offering a free 7 trial of the top of the range service, Spotify Premium.  One of the main things that this unlocks is the ability to have offline playlists on your mobile phone; although we’ve seen some phones (especially from 3UK) come with Spotify Premium trials or inclusive access, this is one of the first times Spotify have generally made a free trial available.  If you are interested, head over to this web page to request the free trial.

And, no, this is not an April Fools joke!

Some networks, such as Vodafone, have had content control systems for some time, but due to new regulations (see here), some of the UK mobile networks have had to implement content control over the last few weeks.  O2 came up with an interesting solution, but not one that has worked well, whereas 3UK have shown some sense in their handling of a content control system.

O2 put the content block onto all contracts, forcing all traffic through a content control server.  If you pay them £1 on your credit card, they will open up the content control, and then credit your account with £2.50.  This is similar to a similar arrangement on Vodafone, but caused a lot of fuss when introduced.  However, what’s now transpires is that if you don’t pay the money, the content control server sometimes struggles to work, and a few people are reporting a worse browsing experience.

3UK went the other way; although they have enabled the content control as standard on all PAYG phones, they have not enabled it by default on any contracts (given the contract often needs a credit card to purchase the contract, and a bank account to pay the direct debit, this makes a lot of sense); if you have passed a phone contract onto someone below 18, you can contact 3UK and ask them to enable the controls though (simply send a no-cost text with the word ‘Filter’ to 33333).  In a similar way, for PAYG users you can “prove” your age by using a credit card, but another option is to go into a store and show ID proving your age; a nice sensible option and shows a little joined up thinking.

It’s important to realise that all mobile networks must implement a system, but it’s interesting to see the different implementations.

Minor update: 3UK have said the removal of the existing content control options will take up to the end of June to remove for all existing accounts.

Something not many people seem to have noticed, but Nokia have announced that many of the UK networks are now supported for billing within the Ovi Store; before, you had to either strike it lucky with your network choice, or use a credit card, but Nokia have confirmed that if you are a customer of T-Mobile, Orange, 3UK, O2 or Vodafone, you can now select to have any purchases added to your mobile phone bill instead.  It’s not clear if this agreement covers the smaller virtual operators such as Virgin Mobile or GiffGaff, but it’s certainly a good start, and adds an option commonly not available on other platforms.